Best performing wide angle K mount lenses?

osv · 09-20-2014, 02:25 PM

Originally posted by Raffwal

Let's say I'm after an excellent wide angle lens for landscape photography. In the focal length range of approximately 10-30 mm.

i've mounted nearly a dozen legacy 28mm primes on the sony a7r, the smc pentax-m 28mm f/3.5 is the best i've seen so far for stopped-down landscape shots.

you'll have to download a 21mb image comparison to see the differences:

SMC Pentax-M 28mm f/3.5 lens test

what's surprising is how clean the sides are on ff... the pentax k3 will have higher pixel density than the a7r, but i bet that the center of this glass can resolve it.

~f/10 appears to be the best compromise on the a7r.

carolina_sky · 09-24-2014, 08:10 AM

Don't forget the new Sigma 18-35! It's a big beast but it is unbelievably sharp and beautifully crafted (except for the lens cap which keeps falling off - minor irritant) and the range is nice. I also have the 12-24. That has been my go-to landscape lens for the past year and it has been excellent from 14-24. I find it vignettes too much at 12mm for my taste, but I find 14 adequate at the wide end. Even my Nikon D800-toting friends have acclaimed it's IQ. I have no experience with the DA15 to compare.

The Sigma is quite a bit sharper than the 12-24, and at F1.8 vs. F4, there's not much comparison on low-light capability. BUT, one big PLUS for the 12-24 is that it handles bright spots really well. I don't know how to explain this in technical terms (if there even is a technical explanation and it's not just either my imagination of lack of skill), but it is quite easy to take a shot with the 12-24 of a scene with a lot of light as well as a lot of shadow and get decent shadow detail without blowing out the bright spots. I find this much harder with the Sigma, and the Sigma is not the only lens I've noticed this with. The 12-24 is very forgiving of bright sources and you can get them without blowing them out.

I have not yet tried to shoot the same scene at same exposure side by side to see the difference (the 12-24 went in for long overdue cleaning after I got the 18-35). But here is an example scene that the 12-24 handled well and two friends with Nikon FF and lenses had difficulty with (highlights too bright).
Yates Mill Pond waterfall

09-24-2014, 08:10 AM	#17
carolina_sky Site Supporter Join Date: Nov 2013 Photos: Gallery Posts: 156	Sigma 18-35 f1.8 Don't forget the new Sigma 18-35! It's a big beast but it is unbelievably sharp and beautifully crafted (except for the lens cap which keeps falling off - minor irritant) and the range is nice. I also have the 12-24. That has been my go-to landscape lens for the past year and it has been excellent from 14-24. I find it vignettes too much at 12mm for my taste, but I find 14 adequate at the wide end. Even my Nikon D800-toting friends have acclaimed it's IQ. I have no experience with the DA15 to compare. The Sigma is quite a bit sharper than the 12-24, and at F1.8 vs. F4, there's not much comparison on low-light capability. BUT, one big PLUS for the 12-24 is that it handles bright spots really well. I don't know how to explain this in technical terms (if there even is a technical explanation and it's not just either my imagination of lack of skill), but it is quite easy to take a shot with the 12-24 of a scene with a lot of light as well as a lot of shadow and get decent shadow detail without blowing out the bright spots. I find this much harder with the Sigma, and the Sigma is not the only lens I've noticed this with. The 12-24 is very forgiving of bright sources and you can get them without blowing them out. I have not yet tried to shoot the same scene at same exposure side by side to see the difference (the 12-24 went in for long overdue cleaning after I got the 18-35). But here is an example scene that the 12-24 handled well and two friends with Nikon FF and lenses had difficulty with (highlights too bright). Yates Mill Pond waterfall

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Wide angle C mount lenses?	Shawn67	Pentax Q	15	05-10-2017 09:52 AM
Fast relatively wide angle lens in K-mount?	hcc	Pentax SLR Lens Discussion	7	06-20-2014 11:02 AM
Best wide angle lenses	Purevulcan	Pentax K-30 & K-50	15	01-22-2014 06:56 PM
Best wide angle for K-5 IIs	djc737	Pentax K-5 & K-5 II	8	09-29-2012 08:14 AM
k-mount MF wide-angle shift lenses	asaru	Pentax SLR Lens Discussion	5	02-20-2011 10:18 AM

09-20-2014, 02:25 PM	#16
osv Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: So Cal Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,080	Originally posted by Raffwal Let's say I'm after an excellent wide angle lens for landscape photography. In the focal length range of approximately 10-30 mm. i've mounted nearly a dozen legacy 28mm primes on the sony a7r, the smc pentax-m 28mm f/3.5 is the best i've seen so far for stopped-down landscape shots. you'll have to download a 21mb image comparison to see the differences: SMC Pentax-M 28mm f/3.5 lens test what's surprising is how clean the sides are on ff... the pentax k3 will have higher pixel density than the a7r, but i bet that the center of this glass can resolve it. ~f/10 appears to be the best compromise on the a7r.